Cerberus
by Sagittarius-Arrow98
Summary: When Spartoi is told to join up with the elite three-man squad, Cerberus, they must learn to deal with the harsh truths of limits and the reasons that they cannot use 'True Power'.


**Chapter One: Misunderstanding**

* * *

No P.O.V

"There! Up these steps!"

The boy skidded roughly to a stop just at the bottom of said stone steps; a bigger, older boy slowed from his run and fell into line with him as a smaller girl – smaller than either of them – slipped neatly in between them.

The first, younger boy glared up the steep stone steps, at the shadow against the glare of the watching sun behind the figure. Dark eyes framed by thick, heavy lashes narrowed to slits as he growled… and shoved a fist into the bottom of the steps.

The cobble-stone cracked, holding out for two seconds more, before crumbling into brick-sized crumbs and billowing dust.

The figure stood at the top of the stairs toppled off, landing in an ungainly heap in front of the other two children.

Yes, children.

But when the shorter boy stalked up to the pile of long, spindly limbs and shoved his fist into the man's face, transforming it into the barrel of a gun, anybody could tell that they were obviously not ordinary children.

"Spider Manson, son of Ariadne, you are to die for your crimes of consuming human Souls and for turning away from the path of humanity, into the shadow of the madness of the Kishin," recited the girl, in an almost bored manner.

"The penalty for your crimes… is Death," finished the older boy.

Around the end of the barrel of the shorter boy's right arm, 5 barbed claws (4 along the outside, 1 on the inside) clamped tightly around the sallow face. Said face was now shaking and sweating bullets…

Ironic really, as he blasted the head into ash, with, not a bullet, but his own Soul Wavelength.

* * *

Maka's P.O.V

Another dissection by Stein-sensei – boring the class out of its mind – was interrupted by the building rumbling. The entire room shook, before calming down quickly. The students, Weapons and Meisters alike, were abuzz with chatter, murmurs thrown here and there, shouts across the classroom for reassurance and questioning.

Marie-sensei burst in through the doors, tears flowing liberally down her face. But not of sadness, or worry, or anything like that. She burst in, _happy_.

"Stein! They're here!"

'Who…?'

"They are? Hmm, they're early… Well, class, since we've been disturbed so, you might as well come and meet them too."

Killik piped up.

"Meet who?"

Stein-sensei thought for a moment, then answered, "It's not really who, more like what-!"

He was cut off as Marie-sensei took a well-aimed swipe at his head, which resulted in Stein-sensei's head through a wall and Marie-sensei's fist smoking.

"Well class," she began, a bright smile decorating her face as the class gave an exasperated sweat-drop, "let's go meet our new students~!"

…

"EH?!"

* * *

Soul's P.O.V

'New students…? I haven't heard anything about new students… Huh, wonder if they're Weapons… Or Meisters…'

Absorbed in my own thoughts, I followed the crowd of my class, tagging absent-mindedly along with my friends – more importantly, my Meister, Maka.

I stop short as I hear her shout.

"Maka!"

I suddenly discovered that she had moved ahead of me, further into the front of the crowd, along with the rest of Spartoi. Hopefully, they'd be able to protect her until I got there. I fought the rest of the way through the other students, dodging elbows and throwing the odd mutter of "Sorry" at people. And I threw myself out into the open, to find myself face-to-… well, to find the single barrel of some sort of gun shoved in my face.

"Soul!"

It was Maka.

I couldn't tear my eyes away from the black hole that was the opening at the end of the barrel. Surprisingly, it's hellishly scary.

"Oh, sorry."

I jerked backwards at the voice. And suddenly, I found myself, this time actually face-to-face, with a boy.

"Yo, name's Kevin."

* * *

Black*Star P.O.V

How dare they? How DARE they?!

How could they make a big scene, bigger than anything he was allowed to make? How come they were allowed to bask in the adoring attention? Of HIS fans?!

But no matter, I will out-shine them all! I'll surpass GOD!

And with that, I leapt to the top of the pile of rubble that used to be the stone steps to the entrance of Shibusen.

"HEY! Listen up down there, commoners…" I mutter, head low with shadows from the laughing sun behind me enveloping my eyes, "There's only room for one person big enough to make a scene around here, AND THAT'S ME!"

I cried out triumphantly, throwing my head up, eyes closed in arrogance. I hear a murmur, so I open my eyes and see the studded bottom of a black trainer headed straight for my vulnerable face. I leaped backwards, flipping as I did, and I land crouched next to the rest of Spartoi.

"Black*Star!"

Tsubaki. I'd need her to defeat whoever had gone for me and I was a big enough man to admit it.

I reach back, trusting her enough to not pierce one of her many blade forms through my hand. She didn't disappoint.

And neither did my opponents.

In the time that it took for me to flip down the land-slide of rubble, grab Tsubaki and bring her round in a threatening manner, the person with the studded trainers had landed where I previously stood.

She wasn't short, but she wasn't tall; she was just shorter than the average fifteen year-old. Black-brown locks flowed straight down her back, delicately high-lighted with dusky gold. Her eyes were the same colour: black-brown, dusted with gold. It looked like several shades of gold dust had been layered; it looked a lot like the picture of a star being consumed by a black hole, a picture that Stein had showed the Crescent Moon Class on that ONE day that he didn't have anything to dissect. Her eyes were narrowed to slits as her lips pressed into a thin line.

The two boys had jumped up too, landing just behind her, on either side.

The shorter boy was tall. Half a head taller than the girl, at least. He was stood protectively close to the girl, glaring at me. His eyes were sharp, the same dark brown as the girls; they were probably related. But his were different: they were flaked through with silver, the different shades giving them a void-like depth. The bridge of his nose wrinkled softly as he snarled slightly. His upper lip was raised ever so slightly and short, thick canines grit against the lower ones.

The taller boy was tall. Almost a head taller than the girl, just half a head taller than the other boy. His face was impassive, but his eyes were wintery warm; they held a hot, fiery fury and a cold, harsh promise – one of those "if you hurt either of them, you'll regret the day you were born" looks.

Except, I already somewhat regret the day I was born.

He also had shorter hair than the shorter boy, whose hair flopped loosely into his eyes. But the taller boy's build was larger than either of the other two; the shorter boy had a thick, fighter's build, much more intimidating than the small girl's lithe frame.

That was all the info I had gathered on the three, before the shorter boy snarled, baring wolfish teeth, as he lunged forwards off the rubble pile and thrust the barrel of something akin to a shot gun–… into my face.

And the feral grin said it all.

"I'll kill you."

* * *

Soul P.O.V

I only had seconds to think as Maka cried my name in desperation.

She grabbed my arm and swung me forward to intercept the purple Soul Wavelength that shot forwards (no pun intended… it'd be a bit of a bad time…) from the barrel of the kid's arm. No matter how fast Black*Star was, he would not be able to deflect it in time.

As Maka grit her teeth, I took a moment to decide that Maka trusted me to transform in time, rather than she swung me for my near indestructability. I did transform, catching the Wavelength on my blade.

What worried me, was that it stung, but rather than dissipating like Liz' and Patti's, they crackled and shocked up the length of my blade. I grunted, holding in a scream.

Maka hadn't noticed, shifting her grip up my staff – closer to the energy closing in. I didn't even have time to try to warn her.

"AGH!"

Maka collapsed from the sheer pressure and pain of the shock, dropping me. I winced internally as I clanged onto the floor.

Transforming back, I grabbed her arm, straining to see if she was okay; the Wavelength seemed to have paralysed me as a Weapon and knocked out my Meister.

I glared up at the boy with the gun for an arm as the three of them landed just beyond our heads, the girl on the right, the first boy on the left and the largest between and behind them.. Their landing styles differed so greatly – a soft sigh of exercised silence, a heavy thump of violent footfalls, the cracking of the dusty ground as the largest boy exuded a deathly aura – yet they all seemed so dangerous, so predatory.

I was vaguely aware of Black*Star roaring in anger at our quick defeat, but even as he sped forward and swung Tsubaki as the Fey Blade, I knew he wouldn't win; he'd last longer than we did, but he wouldn't win.

The girl lunged forward, dragging the larger boy forwards by the arm, and swinging him round with seemingly little to no effort at all. He gave a weary smile, then transformed in a flash of pale green light. Into a big sword. Way bigger than Tsubaki.

A kubikiribocho.

It was well-crafted, typical of a Weapon. It was in the shape of a wing, spread wide as if during flight. There were two thin metal chains attached to the end of the hilt. One was tipped with a tassel, the other with a small bronze bell.

She twisted the hilt and both the hilt and blade split down the thick length, allowing her to pull two heavy-looking blades apart. The two hilts were linked together with a strange chain, made of the same pale green energy that aided his transformation.

She jumped over the chain so that it was behind her as she ran, with frightening speed, at Black*Star. Two swords clashed. Black*Star had the strength to hold his own against the girl, Tsubaki's edge angled at the left kubikiribocho for a better grip. Suddenly, the girl swung the right blade up and struck down vertically, jamming it deep into the earth behind Black*Star. His back was flush against the flat of the blade; he was trapped between a deadly predator and a hard place.

His sides were open though, and that fact was taken advantage of when the remaining boy slowly and deliberately stepped up beside them. He raised his right arm and transformed it into the single barrel of some sort of gun. The girl flashed a toothy grin to her right, where the boy had come to a stop.

So he shot Black*Star.


End file.
